Measles News and Research

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Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus. It remains a leading cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. An estimated 197 000 people died from measles in 2007, mostly children under the age of five.

Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. The measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and the lungs. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.

Survey: Many adults unaware of key facts that can help prevent SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, unexplained, sudden death of a child younger than one year old.

3 Jul 2025

Confusion persists over breast cancer screening guidelines

Mammograms can find cancer early before symptoms appear. Regular screening decreases the risk of dying from breast cancer.

3 Jul 2025

A Texas boy needed protection from measles. The vaccine cost $1,400.

In the early days of the West Texas measles outbreak, Thang Nguyen eyed the rising number of cases and worried. His 4-year-old son was at risk because he had received only the first of the vaccine's two doses.

30 Jun 2025

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers sow doubts as scientists protest US pivot on shots

As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he'd fired earlier met inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters to plan a more skeptical vaccine future.

27 Jun 2025

New U.S. poll shows strong backing for routine childhood vaccines

In the midst of a multi-state measles outbreak, a new poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation finds that most U.S. adults (79%) say parents should be required to have children vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school.

26 Jun 2025

Monitoring wastewater proves effective in forecasting COVID trends

Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a University of Minnesota research team demonstrated that measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater continues to accurately predict COVID-19 infections in a community.

24 Jun 2025

Many older people embrace vaccines. Research is proving them right.

Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay for it out-of-pocket.

23 Jun 2025

Why doctors say measles isn’t just back, it’s a warning sign for us all

A new editorial outlines the alarming resurgence of measles in the U.S., with over 880 cases reported by April 2025, largely driven by domestic transmission and declining vaccination coverage. The authors warn that without urgent public health action, measles could become endemic again, exposing broader vulnerabilities in vaccine-preventable disease defenses.

17 Jun 2025

AI and film animation tools lead to breakthrough in coronavirus drug discovery

About 30% of all respiratory tract infections are caused by coronaviruses, leading to widespread illnesses and, in some cases, to epidemic and even pandemic outbreaks, as we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jun 2025

Measles poses serious risks for pregnant people amid rising cases in Canada

Measles is on the rise in Canada and poses serious risks to pregnant people and their newborns, yet discussion about how to protect this vulnerable group is notably lacking.

9 Jun 2025

Survey: Most Americans cannot identify what counts as high blood pressure

Hypertension or high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack and stroke, the two top causes of death in the United States, is one of the most widespread chronic illnesses in America, afflicting nearly half of adults.

6 Jun 2025

MMR vaccination rates decline in most U.S. counties since the pandemic

A new county-level dataset from Johns Hopkins University researchers reveals a national decline in the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination rate among U.S. children since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 Jun 2025

Early measles vaccination gains urgency amid global outbreak

The global measles outbreak must trigger an urgent debate into whether a vaccine should be recommended earlier to better protect against the highly contagious disease during infancy, a new review states.

29 May 2025

Single measles strain triggers outbreak in Milan despite high vaccination rates

A unique measles B3 lineage drove a sustained local outbreak in Milan and surrounding areas in early 2025, marking a shift from previous D8 importations. This primarily affected unvaccinated adults, raising alarms about potential endemic measles resurgence in northern Italy despite high overall vaccination coverage.

27 May 2025

Most Americans back MMR vaccine as measles surges and misconceptions rise

A national survey shows that most Americans still support MMR vaccination for children, but public understanding of measles complications and vaccine facts is declining. Despite a sharp rise in measles cases, misconceptions about vaccine risks and autism persist.

20 May 2025

How the Trump administration aims to slash health care spending

Health care has proved a vulnerable target for the firehose of cuts and policy changes President Donald Trump ordered in the name of reducing waste and improving efficiency.

20 May 2025

Measles cases surge in the United States amid falling vaccination rates

The United States is in the midst of the second-highest year of measles cases since 2000, when the disease was declared eliminated in this country, meaning that cases within the United States originated outside the country.

16 May 2025

Gaza faces growing hunger crisis amid ongoing aid blockade

The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade.

13 May 2025

Wastewater surveillance detects measles in Houston before cases are reported

An innovative outbreak detection program that tracks disease-causing viruses in wastewater identified the measles virus in Houston samples collected in early January 2025, before cases were reported.

12 May 2025

Virtual nurse shows promise in promoting vaccinations

Can a virtual nurse persuade people to get vaccinated? Scientists from SWPS University have proven that it is possible. Finding new forms of informing people about vaccinations is particularly important for public health while some question their validity.

10 May 2025